Manufacture of non-oxidizing conductors.



O. LU IUBR.

MANUFACTURE OF NON JXlDIZING GONDUGTORS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 3, 1914.

Patented. July2i, 1914' W/7/7esses." 1& (e.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR LINDER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR '10 WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MANUFACTURE OF NON-OXIDIZING CONDUCTORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 21, 1914.

Application filed January 3, 1914. Serial No. 810,197.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR LINDER, a citizen of Switzerland residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in the Manufacture of Non- Oxidizing Conductors, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to the manufacture of non-oxidizing conductors, and has for its object the production of efficient, reliable and economical non-oxidizing conductors. Such non-oxidizing conductors are particularly adapted for use as leading-in wires for incandescent lamps.

- In accordance with this invention, oxidizable metal, such for example, as iron, copper, etc., in the form of wire or strip, is covered with a thin, uniform and cont-inuous coating of vitreous material in such manner as to prevent the oxidizing of the metal and at the same time rendering it suf ficiently pliable and workable to lend itself readily to the work for which it is intended.

The method herein referred to is substantially as follows: Vitreous material having a point of plasticity lower than the melting point of the metal forming the conductor, isapplied at one point of a constantly moving conductor of oxidizable metal. The cov ering of the conductdi is then permitted to cool and the conductor so covered may be wound upon a take-up reel.

This invention will be more fully understood by reference to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one embodiment of the invention.

\ As shown in the drawing, a wire 5 of iron or some other oxidizable metal is led from a supporting reel 6 into and through a tube 7 of Bohemian glass, lead glass, Jena glass or some other suitable vitreous material which becomes plastic below the melting point of the metal to be covered. The end 8 of the tube 7 at which the wire 5 emerges, is maintained in a plastic state by some suitable means, such, for example, as gas blast burners 9. As the wire 5 is drawn through the plastic end 8 of the tube 7 a thin coating of glass is applied to the wire, as shown at 10. The glass covered wire is then fed onto a take-up reel 11. The tube 7 may be fed forward by any suitable means, such, for example, as feed rollers 12. When'heating the tip of the tube 7, it is only necessary to raise the temperature thereof suiticiently high to render the end '8 slightly plastic. In fact it is desirable that the temerature be no higher, so that the cont-inuity of the glass may be maintained, thereby preventing the flame from contacting with the wire. However, in order that intimate contact bet-ween the wire and glass coating may be insured, it is necessary that the glass coating, after application thereof to the wire, be raised to such a temperature that it becomes thoroughly plastic. For the accomplishment of these purposes, the posit-ion of the flame with respect to the tip of the tube is as illustrated in the drawing, that is, the glass coated Wire is in contact with and passes through the hottest part of the flame, while the tip of the glass tube is heated by radiation and conduction and to a lower temperature than the glass coating on the wire.

Experiments have shown that in covering a wire of .007" diameter with a coat-ing of Bohemian glass of .002 thickness, the best results are obtained when using a tube having an inside diameter of 1/8 and a thickness of wall of 3 64". With these dimensions of wire and tube, the feeding speed of the tube should be 3/64 per minute, and that of the wire 2 per minute. The diameter of the reel 11 should be relatively large (about 1') to prevent the breaking of the glass as the glass coated wire is wound thereon. While any means may be employed to maintain the end of the tube in a plastic state, it has been determined that the best results are obtained when using an 0 en flame, care being taken to insure only t e extreme tip of the tube being in a,plastic state and to prevent the flame coming in contact with the wire.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of making a non-oxidizable conductor which consists in drawing an oxidizable metallic wire through a tube of vitreous material, maintaining the forward end of said tube in a lastic state, and cansing it to adhere to said wire in the,,form of a thin, uniform and continuous coating.

2. The method of making a non-oxidizing conductor which consists in drawing an oxidizable metallic strip through a tube of A vitreous material, maintaining said vitreous material at the end where said strip emerges in a plastic state, and feeding said tube for-' ward at a rate suflicient to apply a thin, uniform and'eontinuous coating 'of said vitreous material on said strip.

3. The method of making a non-oxidiztube forward at a speed suflicient' to cover said wirewith a thin, uniform and continuous coating of said vitreous material, and winding said covered wire upon a reel.

4. The method of making a non-oxidizing conductor which consists in drawing the oxidizable metallic wire through a tube of vitreousmaterial, maintaining the forward end of said tube in a lastic state without oxidizing said inclose wire, feeding. said tube forward at a speed sufficient to enable said wire to be covered with a thin, uniform and continuous coating of said material in intimate contact therewith.

5. The method of making a non-oxidizing conductor which consists in drawing the oxidizable metallic wire through a tube of oxidiiable metallic wire with a tube of vitreous material, maintaining the forward end of said tube in a plastic state and advancing said wire and said tube at such relative speeds that a thin, uniform and continuous coating of said vitreous material adheres to said wire. w

7. The method of making a non-oxidizing conductor which consists in drawing an 'oxidizable metallic wire through a tube of vitreous material, maintaining the forward end of said tube in a slightly plastic state,

said vitreous material is caused to form a coating in intimate contact with said wire.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 24th day of December A. D., 1913.

OSCAR LINDER.

Witnesses:

MARIE H. CADIEUX, EDWIN C. F ROST. 

